A. Schulman Announces Innovation And Collaboration Center For Engineered Composites

AKRON, Ohio, March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A. Schulman Inc. (Nasdaq: SHLM), a leading international supplier of high-performance plastic compounds, composites, powders, and resins, today announced that it will open its first Engineered Composites Innovation and Collaboration Center in late summer. The center will be located in Bay City, Michigan. Thus, the Company's customers will have the opportunity to develop unique solutions to challenging applications with a focus on light-weight materials and parts consolidation.

"Our Innovation and Collaboration Center will initially focus on our Engineered Thermoset Composites product line, recently acquired through the Citadel Plastics acquisition," said Frank Roederer, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Engineered Composites. "Our future plans for the Collaboration and Innovation Center include expanding our focus to include all of A. Schulman's materials."

A. Schulman will have a core innovation team including material experts, design and stress engineers, and manufacturing specialists who will work directly with their partner customers to accelerate the timeframe from concept to production. The Company will provide full engineering services to facilitate this process and apply a material neutral approach, thus providing the best solution based on customer needs.

"From single components to complete tear down analyses, we will facilitate a process to guide the customer from an initial needs assessment to developed solutions. We believe that by having all disciplines participating upfront in a collaborative environment, conceptual changes to design or materials can immediately be evaluated by the team for cost and production feasibility," said Doug Gries, Director of Market Development, Engineered Composites. "The approach is to lay out customer goals from the start and work in close partnership to find the best solution for their needs."

A. Schulman has over 55 years of composites experience and a history of developing unique solutions in markets such as automotive, aerospace, electrical, energy and industrial. The Company has five Innovation and Collaboration Centers located in Mexico, Belgium, Germany and two in the United States. 

About A. Schulman, Inc.A. Schulman, Inc. is a leading international supplier of high-performance plastic compounds and resins headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Since 1928, the Company has been providing innovative solutions to meet its customers' demanding requirements. The Company's customers span a wide range of markets such as packaging, mobility, building & construction, electronics & electrical, agriculture, personal care & hygiene, sports, leisure & home, custom services and others. The Company employs approximately 5,000 people and has 58 manufacturing facilities globally. A. Schulman reported net sales of approximately $2.4 billion for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2015. Additional information about A. Schulman can be found at www.aschulman.com.

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SOURCE A. Schulman, Inc.